As plastic bag bans continue going into effect across the country, observers and supporters of environmental causes are wondering if it is only the beginning. A recent New York Times article suggested
the Big Apple is headed one step further and may mandate composting city-wide. While
eco-friendly reusable shopping bags are a first step for many cities, New York is taking a leap into the next dimension.
The West Coast has been pioneering the environmental movement for decades, and its plastic bag bans logically led to composting in cities like Portland and San Francisco. Yet New York City is still a major offender when it comes to plastic bag waste. Certainly, you’ll see
custom shopping bags from green retailers on the streets, but the percentage of residents bagging with plastic is way too high. However, a paradigm shift may be headed the Big Apple’s way.
Every major candidate in this year’s mayoral race expressed support for the composting program, which is being piloted in Staten Island. Brad Lander, a City Council member from Brooklyn, recognized that he might have his best shot at a plastic bag ban with Mike Bloomberg in office. He’s introducing legislation this summer that would end the reign of plastic bags in New York. Eco-friendly reusable shopping bags would no longer be an option; they’d be mandatory in the city.
Local merchants see opportunity in that change. By ordering
wholesale tote bags that can be reused by clients endlessly, business owners can guarantee their logo and brand will circulate through the streets of their city, over and over again. Reusable bags don’t go away, and they never go into the trash. It’s why they’re the ideal answer to plastic bags and the reason bans in Seattle and Los Angeles were so successful. By the look of the efforts in New York, plastic bags may soon disappear. New Yorkers will then transition to city-wide composting. It would set a great example from the East Coast, and signal the beginning of the environmental movement’s rebirth.
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